Many aircraft include one or more panels which are used to cover an opening of the aircraft. The opening may be covering a door panel, an engine component, or an engine housing often referred to as nacelle or fan cowl. Such structures can be used in a variety of settings in addition to cowls on aircraft.
One of the problems with a cowl is that it may be required to be retained in an open position to allow an aircraft mechanic or other operator to have access to the area underneath the cowl. For example, an aircraft mechanic or other party may need to repair the aircraft of observe the condition of the structures or components underneath the cowl covering. When the cowl is displaced from the remainder of the structure it needs to be retained in an open position. The cowl also needs to be easily closable allowing the operator to disengage any locking mechanisms on the cowl generally easily and efficiently.
One situation that occurs with a cowl is that it may need to accommodate both compressive and tensile loads. A compressive load may occur as a result of the weight of the cowl resting on the extended rod such that the length of the rod carries the weight from a first connecting point at the cowl to a second connecting point on another portion of the aircraft structure. The cowl may need to carry tensile loads when positioned in a different position or when experiencing a wind load. Under these conditions, the rod will need to maintain its locked condition.
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